Gwil, Joe, Gus and Thom met at Leeds uni in 2007 and have spent the five years since forming themselves into indie's next big thing. Users of Apple's Mac and its many platforms will know that the 'alt-J' command presents a neat delta symbol when typed, thus ∆. For users of HP/IBM-derived PCs, the 'alt-J' command would appear to do nothing whatsoever. You can see where we're going with this.

Alt-J's debut album, this year's An Awesome Wave, has been an intriguing hit. The record has not so much divided opinion but it has produced two types of fans. Some have fawned over it as a mighty leap forward in modern indie music while others consider it a perfectly decent, if perhaps not wholly remarkable, debut album. Alt-J have been compared to the XX with whom they have in common the uncanny knack of appearing to arrive fully formed. It has even been written that An Awesome Wave is so good that it cannot be considered a 'debut' album. That may well be pseudo-intellectual claptrap but it is a valid point that the record is very polished and thoughtful.

As always, we'd advocate strongly that you go and find out for yourself. There's plenty of opportunity coming up and, with some gigs costing just a tenner, you've no excuse not to be informed.

The short tour kicks off in Manchester on 27th October, followed by shows in Leeds, Glasgow, Bristol and more, before the final date at the Electric Ballroom in London on 5th November. We will have tickets from 9am on Friday 29th June 2012, priced £12 for London and £10 for the remaining venues.

Alt-J will also be supporting the Temper Trap at Somerset House on 11th July and playing a few festivals including Latitude (13th July), Sheffield's Tramlines (20 July) and Bestival (7th September). We have a selection of tickets available now.